Mitch's P.O.V.
My hand was resting on the wood of the door, my entire body relying on the wooden frame to hold me up. My legs felt weak, knees shaking and head bowed as I listened to anything my ears could pick up.
Just beside me I could hear the uneven breathing and even sobs of the others beside me, all of us willing the door to open, even though it was locked. Inside the room on the other side of the door, my ear pressed to the panels, I could hear sobbing, desperate and uncontrollable sobbing.
"Lachy? Please, open the door, just let us in." The sobs continued, there was no change. I didn't even think he heard us.
I wrapped my arms around the next youngest boy, Vikk, the youngest being in the room and held him tightly, knowing he was probably the most upset out of all of us.
"Lachy? Open the door, please?" His voice wavered with emotion, clinging to me as much as he could.
There was silence for a few seconds before I heard a click, meaning the lock had been pulled back and we could go into the room. Vikk reached his hand out at once, but I stopped him, knowing that Lachlan would want to have time to settle first. I placed my hand on the door handle, ever so slowly pushing it down and opening the door.
It was dark, the curtains drawn and lights off and a bundle of blankets was curled up in the corner of the bed, moving with the sobs of the youngest. Vikk stepped forwards first, crawling onto the bed and reaching his hand underneath the duvet, grasping at his hand.
When Lachlan didn't pull away I stepped forwards, followed by Rob and then Jerome and Preston. I could see his blonde hair just over the edge of the sheets, his head resting on Vikk's lap and the rest of his body hidden.
"Lachy? It's okay, you're okay." I reached out and climbed over him, so I was in the space between the wall and him.
"It's not okay, you know it's not." His voice was thick with tears, dripping with emotion and I knew he was right.
Just that morning, he had received the news that his sister, brother-in-law and 3 month old niece had been in a car accident. None of them had survived.
Back in the present, I wrapped my arms around Lachlan's waist and leaned into Vikk, waiting on the others to make themselves comfortable on the bed. Jerome and Preston were leaning up against the other wall, head's on each other shoulder's. Rob curled up in front of Lachlan, their heads facing each other.
I ran my fingers over his back, trailing them underneath his shirt and I felt him shiver, although he did try and edge himself closer to me. I could still hear him sniffling, trying to bring himself closer to all of us.
Vikk started to turn himself around so he was lying down, but so his legs were wrapped around behind Rob and Lachlan, his head next to both of theirs. Lachlan motioned for me to lie down and with Vikk having moved, I could.
I was facing the back of his head, his blonde hair in a complete mess and sticking up. I continued to run my fingers along his back, his sobs starting to subside as Vikk kept him close and whispered silent nothings to him.
"Lachy? Can you look at me?" Preston spoke up and Lachlan turned his head towards him, red rimmed eyes and tear tracks lining his cheeks.
"I know you're probably feeling overwhelmed and you don't know what to think but please trust me when I say, it gets better. Trust me, I know." Lachlan looked up at him, wide eyed.
We all knew exactly what he ment. He had lost two siblings and a grandmother in the space of 3 years, all of whom were taken before their time and Preston had spent years mourning for them, a lot of that time with us. He had said the ache had started to fade, although he knew it would never go away.
"I don't know what to do." Lachlan's voice didn't raise above a whisper and his voice hitched, almost starting to cry again.
"I can't tell you it's going to be okay, you know it's not either and you won't know what to do for a long time. Please, just let us know what you're thinking." Lachlan let out a slow nod, resting his head back on Vikk's lap.
I could see the tears beginning to form in his eyes again and they slowly started to fall, his hands trembling. Vikk moved the blanket back over him and moved his forehead so it was resting against Lachlan's and moving back down so he could clutch at his hands.
"What's gonna happen now?" I didn't know.
"We don't know. You could take time off, or throw yourself into work. I wouldn't recommend the last one." Preston knew very well, because he had worked himself so hard he had ended up in hospital from exhaustion.
Rob startled me by moving forwards and sitting up in front of Lachlan and then moved himself so that when he was lying down, he was lying on top of Lachlan. Lachlan didn't move, just curled more underneath him and nuzzled his face into Rob's neck, sighing.
He was still crying silently and I reached forwards, trying to remove the tears. His face turned to me and he shook his head sadly, eyes a blurred blue and unfocused. I knew it was useless, the tears just kept falling and the sobs continued.
I had never met Lachlan's sister, nor her husband or niece but Lachlan had only had one chance to meet his niece, when he had gone back to Australia just after her birth. I knew he was upset, he had never got the chance to see his niece grow up and only ever met her once, which I knew he regretted.
"I know you feel like giving up, your heart is heavy and yo-" A soft voice came from the blonde, who still had tears streaming down his face thick and fast.
"Coffins are even heavier."
